Human ancestors outside Africa

2000/08/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Researchers from Georgia, Germany, France and the United States have found in Dmanisis, Georgia, the oldest human remains that have been found so far outside Africa.

The skulls found are 1.7 million years old and are considered to belong to the human species called Homo ergaster. Many scientists consider the species Homo erectus, which for the first time used the carved axe, as the first human ancestor that came out of Africa; but the remains that have been discovered in Dmanisin may indicate something else, since the stone tools found together with the skulls are more crude than expected.

Therefore, these beings migrated from Africa before the development of the axes by the Homo erectus, that is, between 1.7 and 1.8 million years ago, as soon as evolution provided them with greater bodies and skulls, but before the development of stone tool manufacturing technology. This early emigration may be due to hunger.

Although the expansion of African savannah provided more food to its inhabitants, the Homo ergaster's larger body needed a lot of energy. He had to change his diet and start eating animals. The Homo ergaster moved away from its place of origin due to the need to chase the animals and in action reached Eurasia. This is at least the hypothesis of those who have analyzed the fossils of Dmanisi.